More than 200 W random Raman fiber laser with ultra-short cavity length based on phosphosilicate fiber.

An over 200 W high-power first-order random Raman fiber laser (RRFL) at 1238 nm is demonstrated. The laser is based on a half-open cavity with a piece of 30 m phosphosilicate fiber. This RRFL is pumped by a conventional 1064 nm Yb-doped fiber laser. After suppressing the silica Raman component, a maximum output power of 206.7 W is obtained with a full width half-maximum linewidth of 7.1 nm at a pump power of 346.3 W, corresponding to an optical-to-optical efficiency of 59.7%. To the best of our knowledge, this is the highest reported output power of RRFL on the basis of phosphosilicate fiber with the shortest cavity length.

Dissipative-soliton generation with nonlinear-polarization-evolution in a polarization maintaining fiber.

A long-term stable picosecond dissipative soliton (DS) is achieved for the first time using nonlinear polarization evolution. The environmental stabilization is performed by a Faraday mirror, which can cancel environmentally induced changes in the birefringence of the fiber. The laser cavity with all-polarization-maintaining fiber components generates DS pulses with 2.9 nJ single pulse energy and 5.9 ps pulse width. The output power test over 2 hours shows the excellent mode-locking stability of this design.

High order cascaded Raman random fiber laser with high spectral purity.

An up to 8th order cascaded Raman random fiber laser with high spectral purity is achieved with the pumping of a narrow linewidth amplified spontaneous emission source. The spectral purity is over 90% for all the 8 Stokes orders. The highest output power is 6.9 W at 1691.6 nm with an optical conversion efficiency of 21% from 1062.0 nm. As a comparison, with conventional FBG-based fiber oscillator as pump source, only 47% spectral purity is achieved at 8th order. The temporal stability of the pump laser is proved to play a key role, because the time fluctuation of pump laser is transferred directly to Raman outputs and results in power distribution among different Stokes orders.

Fabrication of chirped and tilted fiber Bragg gratings on large-mode-area doubled-cladding fibers by phase-mask technique.

We demonstrate here the inscription of chirped and tilted fiber Bragg gratings (CTFBGs), to the best of our knowledge, for the first time in hydrogen-loaded large-mode-area (LMA) double-cladding fibers using UV pulses and linearly chirped phase masks. High reflectivity wideband adjustable band-rejection filters are achieved in fibers like LMA-GDF-10/130-M and PS-GDF-20/400-M, with a wavelength coverage of more than 10 nm and suppression ratio around 20 dB. The spectrum and temperature properties are investigated. Experimental results indicate that CTFBGs could be used in double-cladding fiber systems with a smoothly varying attenuation spectrum and a low insertion loss, which is significant for further power scaling in a high-power fiber system.

Fabrication of chirped and tilted fiber Bragg gratings and suppression of stimulated Raman scattering in fiber amplifiers.

Stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) is one of the main limits for fiber lasers further power scaling. We report on the suppression of the stimulated Raman scattering in fiber laser amplifier using chirped and tilted fiber Bragg gratings (CTFBGs) for the first time. In this paper, we design and fabricate a CTFBG used to suppress the SRS in 1090 nm fiber laser output, and establish a system to test the effect of suppression. A maximum suppression ratio nearly 25 dB is achieved. Experimental results demonstrate that CTFBGs can increase the Raman threshold and promote the slope efficiency of the whole system, which is significant for further power scaling in high power oscillators and amplifiers.

Elimination of self-mode-locking pulses in high-power continuous-wave Yb-doped fiber lasers with external feedback.

Sustained self-pulsing and self-mode-locking (SML) are detrimental to the performance of continuous-wave (CW) fiber lasers. We demonstrate an all-fiber method to eliminate SML pulsing by employing a low-reflectivity fiber Bragg grating (FBG) outside of a laser cavity to provide feedback. A narrow-bandwidth FBG is used to form an external cavity with the output coupler FBG, which suppresses the SML up to a certain output power level, at which point, the laser emission linewidth is still within the bandwidth of the FBG. On the other hand, a broad-bandwidth FBG forms a chirped cavity with the output coupler FBG, which can suppress the SML at a much higher power level, tested up to 50 W. This method provides a simple effective all-fiber solution for suppressing self-pulsing in CW fiber lasers at high pump levels with no need to change the laser configuration.

Spectral shaping for suppressing stimulated-Raman-scattering in a fiber laser.

We report on the effects of spectral shaping of the output coupler fiber Bragg grating (OC-FBG) in a Yb-doped fiber laser on the laser emission spectrum for the purpose of inhabiting stimulated Raman scattering (SRS). The lasers with four different OC-FBGs were built and characterized. We found that the laser with a multiple reflection peak chirped-moiré OC-FBG produced a broad laser emission linewidth, which, in turn, led to about 100 times lower the SRS emission as compared with the laser with a 0.19 nm Gaussian-shaped OC-FBG. A nearly flat-top laser output spectrum was obtained from the lasers with a triangle-shaped and chirped-moiré OC-FBG, respectively.

Watt-level tunable 1.5 µm narrow linewidth fiber ring laser based on a temperature tuning π-phase-shifted fiber Bragg grating.

A watt-level tunable 1.5 µm narrow linewidth fiber ring laser using a temperature tuning π-phase-shifted fiber Bragg grating (π-PSFBG) is demonstrated here, to the best of our knowledge, for the first time. The π-PSFBG is employed as both a narrow band filter and a wavelength tuning component, and its central wavelength is thermally tuned by a thermo-electric cooler. The maximum laser power is about 1.1 W with a linewidth of ∼318 MHz (∼2.57 pm) and a power fluctuation of less than 3%. The wavelength tuning range of the laser is about 1.29 nm with a sensitivity of ∼14.33 pm/°C, and the wavelength fluctuation is about 0.2 pm. This work provides important reference for tunable fiber lasers with both high power and narrow linewidth.

Pulsed and CW adjustable 1942 nm single-mode all-fiber Tm-doped fiber laser system for surgical laser soft tissue ablation applications.

A surgical laser soft tissue ablation system based on an adjustable 1942 nm single-mode all-fiber Tm-doped fiber laser operating in pulsed or CW mode with nitrogen assistance is demonstrated. Ex vivo ablation on soft tissue targets such as muscle (chicken breast) and spinal cord (porcine) with intact dura are performed at different ablation conditions to examine the relationship between the system parameters and ablation outcomes. The maximum laser average power is 14.4 W, and its maximum peak power is 133.1 W with 21.3 µJ pulse energy. The maximum CW power density is 2.33 × 106 W/cm2 and the maximum pulsed peak power density is 2.16 × 107 W/cm2. The system parameters examined include the average laser power in CW or pulsed operation mode, gain-switching frequency, total ablation exposure time, and the input gas flow rate. The ablation effects were measured by microscopy and optical coherence tomography (OCT) to evaluate the ablation depth, superficial heat-affected zone diameter (HAZD) and charring diameter (CD). Our results conclude that the system parameters can be tailored to meet different clinical requirements such as ablation for soft tissue cutting or thermal coagulation for future applications of hemostasis.

All-fiber, narrow linewidth and linearly polarized fiber laser in a single-mode-multimode-single-mode cavity.

We report the design of an all-fiber, linearly polarized Yb-doped fiber laser at 1064 nm with a narrow linewidth and high output power required by the master oscillator of the amplifier for high-power spectral beam combining. The laser has achieved linearly polarized output with a polarization extinction ratio of 23 dB, a narrow linewidth of ≤52 pm, and an output power of 32.7 W. Such performance was obtained by the cavity design that incorporated a wavelength-shifted PM fiber Bragg grating pair and single-mode-multimode-single-mode structure.

Q-switched laser in an SMS cavity for inhibiting nonlinear effects.

In the design of high-power Q-switched fiber lasers, nonlinear effects often become barriers that prevent the scale up of pulse energy and peak power. New designs and components that could inhibit or suppress nonlinear effects are in high demand, particularly in all-fiber configurations. In this paper, we demonstrated a Q-switched Yb-doped fiber laser in a single-mode multimode single-mode (SMS) structure to inhibit fiber nonlinear effects. The laser-generated Q-switched pulses with a peak power close to 1 kW (pulse width and energy of 100 ns and 92 µJ, respectively). The output spectrum of this laser was compared with that of a Q-switched Yb-doped fiber laser built in a conventional configuration with similar output peak power. The results showed, for the first time to our knowledge, that the SMS Q-switched laser completely inhibited the stimulated Raman scattering and significantly reduced self-phase modulation.

Kilowatt Ytterbium-Raman fiber laser.

A kilowatt-level Raman fiber laser is demonstrated with an integrated Ytterbium-Raman fiber amplifier architecture. A high power Ytterbium-doped fiber master oscillator power amplifier at 1080 nm is seeded with a 1120 nm fiber laser at the same time. By this way, a kilowatt-level Raman pump laser at 1080 nm and signal laser at 1120 nm is combined in the fiber core. The subsequent power conversion from 1080 nm to 1120 nm is accomplished in a 70 m long passive fiber. A 1.28 kW all-fiber Raman amplifier at 1120 nm with an optical efficiency of 70% is demonstrated, limited only by the available pump power. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of Raman fiber laser with over one kilowatt output.

High efficiency single-mode-multimode-single-mode fiber laser with diffraction-limited beam output.

We designed and tested an all-fiber, high efficiency Yb-doped laser operating at 1088 nm with a single-mode-multimode-single-mode (SMS) structure. A larger-mode-area gain fiber of 1.5 m length, with 20/130 µm core/cladding diameters was used to increase the absorption, and a diffraction-limited Gaussian output beam was obtained from the single-mode output fiber. Using a 976 nm laser diode as the pump source, the laser generated an output power up to 38.5 W with a slope efficiency of 70%. The output beam qualities, with and without SMS structure, were compared and showed that the fiber laser with the SMS structure can achieve high gain, short fiber length, and excellent beam quality.

All-fiber passively Q-switched Tm-doped laser with a mode field area mismatched Tm-doped saturable absorber.

We demonstrate a high peak power, all-fiber passively Q-switched Tm-doped laser operating at 1940 nm for applications in soft tissue ablation. High peak power and passive Q-switching were achieved via a clad pumped gain fiber and a smaller core Tm-doped fiber saturable absorber respectively. Clad pumping was achieved via two 30 W diodes operating at 793 nm. At 50.7 W of pump power, laser pulses with 140 ns FWHM duration and average power of 14.5 W were obtained at a repetition rate of 328 kHz which corresponded to a pulse energy of ~44 µJ and a peak power of ~316 W. The laser had a narrow 0.14 nm linewidth at the maximum output power. The laser was used to cut chicken breast as well as ovine cortical and subcortical brain tissues and average ablation efficiencies of 29, 40 and 42% were obtained, respectively. Cutting speeds of 10 mm/s for ovine brain tissue and 5 mm/s for chicken breast were achieved. Further resection experiments were performed with the target tissue placed under a thin layer of water. A resected volume with length, width and depth of 5 mm, 2.5 mm, and 2.8 mm were obtained, corresponding to a resection rate of ~0.58 mm3/s. To our best knowledge, this is the first report of an all-fiber clad-pumped passively Q-switched Tm-doped fiber laser with a core mismatched saturable absorber being used for tissue ablation experiments.

All-fiber passively Q-switched fiber laser with a Sm-doped fiber saturable absorber.

We demonstrate an all-fiber passively Q-switched Yb-doped laser using a piece of Sm-doped fiber as a saturable absorber. The laser was pumped by two 25W, 975 nm fiber coupled diodes and Q-switching was initiated when the ASE generated in the core of the gain fiber bleached the Sm-doped saturable absorber. The laser produced 1064 nm pulses with 28 µJ pulse energy and a 200 ns pulse width at a repetition rate of 100 kHz. The pulse energy and peak power are an order of magnitude higher than what previous reported which was also in all-fiber configuration. Effects of laser parameters, such as Sm-fiber length, pump power and duration on laser performance were presented and discussed. Stable Q-switched pulses were obtained at the repetition rate varying from 10 kHz to 100 kHz, which makes this laser suitable for different applications.

Experimental and numerical studies of mode-locked fiber laser with large normal and anomalous dispersion.

An ytterbium-doped mode-locked fiber laser was demonstrated with a chirped fiber Bragg grating for dispersion management. The cavity net dispersion could be changed from large normal dispersion (2.4 ps(2)) to large anomalous dispersion (-2.0 ps(2)), depending on the direction of the chirped Bragg grating in laser cavity. The proposed fiber lasers with large normal dispersion generated stable pulses with a pulse width of <1.1 ns and a pulse energy of 1.5 nJ. The laser with large anomalous dispersion generated wavelength-tunable soliton with a pulse width of 2.7 ps and pulse energy of 0.13 nJ. A theoretical model was established and used to verify the experimental observations.

The CathCam: A Novel Angioscopic Solution for Endovascular Interventions.

Peripheral arterial diseases are commonly managed with endovascular procedures, which often face limitations in device control and visualization under X-ray fluoroscopy guidance. In response, we developed the CathCam, an angioscope integrated into an expandable cable-driven parallel mechanism to enhance real-time visualization, precise device positioning and catheter support for successful plaque crossing. The primary objective of this study was to assess and compare the performance of the novel CathCam with respect to conventional catheters and the CathPilot (i.e., CathCam without the angioscope), for applications in crossing chronic total occlusions (CTO). We first assessed the system in 3D-printed phantom models, followed by an ex vivo evaluation with CTO samples from a patient's superficial femoral artery. We measured and compared success rates, crossing times, and fluoroscopy times in both experiments. The CathCam demonstrated a 100% success rate in phantom experiments and a 75% success rate in ex vivo experiments with CTO samples, compared to conventional catheters, with 35% and 25% success rates, respectively. The average crossing times for the CathCam and the conventional catheter were 31 s and 502 s for the phantom experiments and 210 s and 511 s for the actual CTO lesions. The Cathcam also showed to be a reliable endovascular imaging approach in an in vivo experiment. Compared to conventional catheters, the CathCam significantly increased the success rate and reduced crossing and fluoroscopy times in both phantom and ex vivo setups. CathCam can potentially improve clinical outcomes for minimally invasive endovascular interventions by offering high-resolution real-time imaging alongside accurate device control.

A 100 W all-fiber linearly-polarized Yb-doped single-mode fiber laser at 1120 nm.

A 100 W-class all-fiber linearly-polarized single-mode fiber laser at 1120 nm with an optical efficiency of 50% was demonstrated. The laser consists of a 4.2 m long Yb-doped polarization maintaining fiber with a core diameter of 10 µm and a pair of FBGs written in matched passive fiber. Linearly polarized output with a polarization extinction ratio of 15 dB is achieved by a cavity that selects both wavelength and polarization. Pulsed operations with square shaped pulses varying from 100 µs to 1 ms duration are achieved without relaxation oscillation.

Efficient linearly polarized ytterbium-doped fiber laser at 1120 nm.

We report a 20 W linearly polarized, spectrally clean Yb-doped fiber laser at 1120 nm with an optical conversion efficiency of 54%. An excellent polarization extinction ratio of more than 23 dB is obtained using fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) polarization selection technique at all power levels. The results reveal that a Yb-doped fiber laser at 1120 nm could be a promising replacement compared to Raman fiber lasers.

High-efficiency fiber laser at 1018 nm using Yb-doped phosphosilicate fiber.

A high-efficiency fiber laser at 1018 nm using homemade Yb-doped phosphosilicate fiber is demonstrated. The fiber shows blueshifted emission spectrum compared to Yb-doped aluminosilicate fiber, and is considered favorable for the short wavelength Yb-doped fiber laser. With a 7 m gain fiber, up to 22.8 W output at 1018 nm is achieved with an optical efficiency of 53%. The amplified spontaneous emission at 1030 nm is suppressed to 50 dB below the 1018 nm laser. This work shows that highly-efficient fiber laser at 1018 nm can be obtained with Yb-doped phosphosilicate fiber.